Police nab 4 on drug charges

From staff reports)
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Published: November 17, 2010

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Nicholas James Spishock is escorted to his arraignment with District Judge Joseph Zola on felony drug charges Tuesday.

JAMIE PESOTINE/Staff Photographer
Hendrick Rivera-Bruno,second from left, and Jose Rafael Medina Colon, fourth from left, are escorted to their arraignment with District Judge Joseph Zola Tuesday on felony drug charges. Not pictured, Richard Edward Schlack and Nicholas James Spishock, were also arraigned on felony drug charges.

Four local men were arraigned on drug-related charges and jailed at Luzerne County Correctional Facility following a stakeout of a West Hemlock Street home earlier this week and a series of controlled drug buys arranged by police at an Alter Street property on Tuesday, Hazleton police said.

Spishock was jailed after failing to produce $75,000 cash bail while the three others were jailed in lieu of $50,000 cash bail.

The charges stem from surveillance operations police were conducting at 119 W. Hemlock St following a recent shooting and suspected drug activity, police said in an sffidavit of probable cause.

According to the affidavit:

Police noticed heavy foot traffic and observed a man later identified as Medina-Colon leaving the home and entering a van parked about four blocks away. Schlack was also seen entering the same van, which drove away.

Later that day, police observed Medina-Colon entering a cab near Wyoming and Maple streets, along with Spishock, who is known by police to be a heroin user.

Police detectives followed the cab to the Capri Motel on Alter Street, where the two entered Room 10.

Police continued watching the individual who allegedly made several drug transactions. Police terminated surveillance and arraigned for a confidential informant who identified one of the men as "Nick," who agreed to let "Jose" stay at his room.

The informant agreed to make a controlled heroin buy from the two suspects, police said.

On Tuesday morning police set up surveillance and watched Spishock make several drug transactions. Police agreed to have an informant make a controlled buy, again using money from the Luzerne County Drug Task Force Drug Purchase Fund. The informant turned the recovered heroin over to police, which tested positive.

Police were about to execute a search warrant when they thought they observed Medina-Colon leave the room and drive off in a van.

Police followed the van and watched as a Hispanic man, who was later identified as Hendrick Rivera-Bruna, get dropped off near Third and Peace streets.

He was taken into custody and found to have been carrying 57.7 grams of powder and crack cocaine in a bag that he was carrying. Police also recovered a digital scale and plastic baggies.

Police stopped the van about a block later and determined that Alveras was the driver and Medina-Colon was in a back seat. They recovered a bag containing "several thousands" of dollars beneath Medina-Colon's seat - including buy money used by the informant.

The department's Special Operations Group executed a search warrant at the Alter Street room and took Schlack - who police called a known heroin user - and Spishock into custody.

Police searched the room and recovered a large quantity of suspected heroin, US currency and drug paraphernalia. The heroin tested positive.

Spishock faces unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, criminal use of a communication facility - both felonies - as well as criminal conspiracy and a misdemeanor count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance.

Schlack faces a felony count of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Medina-Colon was charged with criminal conspiracy, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, and possession of a controlled substance.

Rivera-Bruno was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver, a felony, and misdemeanor counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.

Preliminary hearings are scheduled next Wednesday.

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